AHAB minutes 010918 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

have been a gap between when they thought someone with a voucher was going to move in and how much of the rent was going to be covered and that was explained very clearly. The inspection can't be requested until they have met everything on the requirement list. She felt it was helpful for the landlord to know the order of how things have to be. Ellie Kinnaird expressed that she heard it takes a while for the Inspectors to come back to the property after a failed inspection. Sherrill Hampton stated that the Housing Authority had received several complaints prior to the meeting about inspections and that was one of the reasons they wanted to re- engage with the landlords to make sure they understood what HUD requirements were in regards to lease up, payments, etc. There are three (3) inspections that are required, excluding inspections based on complaints from HCV participants. One is at the initial time that a person receives their voucher. The landlord needs to turn on water and electricity in order to do a full inspection, In some recent cases, landlords have passed this cost to the Voucher holder and they should not do that. If the landlords want their unit on the program, they have to make utilities available for the inspections. Ms. Hampton plans to have a conversation with local utility companies to build or enhance the relationship so we can alert them that affordable housing is a priority in the County and as one of our community partners here are some things they can do to facilitate affordable housing opportunities. The next inspection takes place four (4) months before the HCV participant's annual recertification. As required by HUD, quality assurance inspections are conducted to review a random sample of the failed inspections occurring throughout the year. There are two (2) types of findings from inspections. One is things that are considered life threating and go to the heart of living in a rental unit, i.e. heat, lights, etc. The landlord has 24 hours to fix life threating issues and 30 days for any other items. The meeting was for them to understand and be a part of the process. There will be quarterly briefings for potential landlords interested in leasing their property. Twice a year there will be a larger meeting that will be a landlord symposium where all the landlords come together. Another challenge that the landlords have is damage beyond the security deposit. The Housing Choice Voucher Program does not pay a security deposit. We look to the community partners, DSS, Interfaith Council and CEF to help applicable participants defray that cost. The BOCC approved funding for a demonstration program that will help mitigate when tenants are in a unit and damage it beyond the security deposit. This will help that landlord pay a portion of that repair cost. There is a very limited amount of funds. The landlords will be asked to bring their repair people to the next briefing so the inspectors can work with them. We will have workshops for Voucher participants on housekeeping, financial management and budgeting. Also, information was shared with the landlords about the VASH Program for veterans. Mr. Cook spoke about the challenges for clients being able to find someone that would take their voucher. Ms. Mahaley explained that there are not a lot of empty units and that there is a waiting list of people who qualify for a voucher, but no there is no list of empty units. Noah Oswald stated that having meetings with the landlords is a good idea.